Monday, November 23, 2015

If Mat Staver and the Liberty Counsel raised "holy hell" with the Associated Press for merely pointing out that the organization is considered by some to be a hate group, I imagine that they are going to be extremely angry at the online magazine, Vox.

In a recent issue, Vox shined a bright spotlight on the Liberty Counsel, publishing a piece which should serve as a lesson on how to create a proper article.

The group presents itself as a reasonable arbiter of religious
liberties in these fights, citing discredited scientific research and
supposed experts. But a theme runs through all of these battles: Stop
LGBTQ rights — even basic ones, like legally allowing consensual
same-sex relationships — at any cost.

Here are just a few examples of Staver and Liberty Counsel's past work and comments, largely gathered from Right Wing Watch's archives:

In 2003, Liberty Counsel submitted
a brief to the Supreme Court arguing that the court should not strike
down states' anti-sodomy laws, which banned gay sex. The brief stated,
"Statistical evidence concerning the medical and social harms resulting
from 'private, consensual' same-sex sexual conduct, together with recent
legislative and judicial battles, underscore the long-term, devastating
consequences of a decision declaring a fundamental right to engage in
private consensual same-sex sodomy.

In 2004, Staver argued in Same-Sex Marriage: Putting Every Household at Risk,
"Homosexuality is a destructive lifestyle both physically and
emotionally. Same-sex marriage cannot be viewed in isolation from
homosexual activity and its consequences on those who engage in such
practices, and especially on children raised in such an environment." He
was citing the now-discredited work of psychologist Paul Cameron.

. . . Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told me
that the long history of anti-LGBTQ activism and incendiary comments is
what led his organization to classify
Liberty Counsel as a hate group. "We do not list groups on the basis of
opposition to same-sex marriage or the belief that homosexuality is a
sin," Potok said. "We base it on the propagation of known falsehoods
and, to a lesser extent, repetitive name-calling."

Staver denies that Liberty Counsel is a hate group, saying his
comments have been taken out of context and noting that his group
strictly advocates for nonviolent protest. But looking at the collection
of all these statements, an obvious pattern emerges — one that is
clearly demeaning to LGBTQ people.

But as offensive as these comments are, they're not even the most
bizarre aspect of Liberty Counsel's recent anti-LGBTQ work. In the past
month, Staver and the group have also been caught repeatedly lying — in
what seem to be two failed attempts to appear as if the group and its
anti-LGBTQ crusades are still a major, well-supported force in the
world.

LGBT Leaders Warn of Looming Gay Rights Backlash - Those of us who study history know that this is inevitable. Historically, after any group becomes successful with attaining some form of equality, backlashes by other parts of society occur. The lgbt community does have one advantage. If we followed history, we know what to expect so we can launch a full-throated, unapologetic, aggressive defense of what we have attained. It beats standing out with your thumb in your ass waiting for the wave of homophobic backlash to knock you down. Make sure those folks know that "you have to bring some to get some."

I'll Go With You - A Mother's Personal Story About Her Trans Child And Public Bathrooms.

Victory Fund won’t dump gay lawmakers over refugee vote - I respect the Victory Fund but I also feel that lgbt lawmakers should be called to the carpet, like any other lawmaker, when they do things which simply aren't right. And what these lawmakers did with regards to the Syrian refugee vote was shameful.

About Me

Alvin McEwen is 46-year-old African-American gay man who resides in Columbia, SC.
McEwen's blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and writings have been mentioned by Americablog.com, Goodasyou.org, People for the American Way, PageOneQ.com, The Washington Post, Raw Story, The Advocate, Media Matters for America, Crooksandliars.com, Thinkprogress.org, Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, Melissa Harris-Perry, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Blade, and Foxnews.com.
In addition, he is also a past contributor to Pam's House Blend,Justice For All, LGBTQ Nation, and Alternet.org. He is a present contributor to the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post,
He is the 2007 recipient of the Harriet Daniels Hancock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2010 recipient of the Order of the Pink Palmetto from the SC Pride Movement as well as the 2009 recipient of the Audre Lorde/James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist Award from SC Black Pride. In addition, he is a three-time nominee of the Ed Madden Media Advocacy Award from SC Pride.